# Chapter 456: Side Story 129
The World’s Greatest Tournament,
A big event where national teams or individuals competed for enormous prize money.
After the group battles between sects and sects, magic towers and magic towers concluded, individual matches followed where martial artists and mages alike were randomly matched against each other.
Every four years, it had been a huge success, and this year was expected to be the same.
But when they opened the lid, it was a total flop.
Advertising revenue, arena ticket sales, sponsor contracts, betting commission fees from match predictions, and so on.
All of it was about to go up in smoke.
The worst turnout in history.
The reason?
Because of golem robots that appeared out of nowhere.
All the dome arenas had been destroyed.
There was no place to hold matches in Las Vegas.
The entire tournament was on the verge of being canceled.
However, though they couldn’t make money, the actual entertainment value and public interest were higher than any previous tournament.
The reason?
Also because of the superstar golem robots that appeared like lightning.
Their debut in Las Vegas.
And just a few hours later, the biggest surprise show in history unfolded in Washington DC.
Attack of the Robot Golems.
Escorted by dragons and angels, they advanced toward the White House,
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Very slowly.
As if daring anyone to stop them.
They didn’t just advance.
They put on an incredible performance too.
During the march, huge boulders came raining down from atop the dragons like snow.
Rajiks, the spatial mage who enjoyed tremendous popularity as a member of Black Tower, had dropped them.
Were they trying to destroy the city with rocks?
No.
Three hundred Mechanic Goliath Fission Golems all turned their heads toward the boulders at once.
In an instant!
-Crackle crackle crackle!
Red laser beams fired simultaneously from the golems’ eyes.
Crack! Kaboom! Ka-ka-boom!
The boulders turned to dust and vanished in midair.
It was a kind of performance.
Look what we can do.
Pretty cool, right?
ㄴ That’s insane. F*cking insane. Damn, king-god-level insane.
ㄴ Wait, they can even fire laser beams?
ㄴ Tanks and helicopters wouldn’t even be able to get close.
ㄴ Fighter jets probably can’t either. Considering that power and accuracy.
ㄴ That day, the citizens of Washington remembered.
ㄴ The fear of being dominated by golem robots.
ㄴ Attack of the Golem Robots, Attack of Bong Ju-hyeok
ㄴ Must be nice to be a Washington citizen. Don’t they get to see that parade with their own eyes?
ㄴ But if I were there, I’d have soaked my pants.
ㄴ By the way, that super-massive robot golem over 100m tall, doesn’t it look familiar?
ㄴ Look at its chest and back. There’s writing on it.
ㄴ Huh? You’re right, White Sect and Black Tower?
ㄴ It was the signboard set up at the Magic Expo Park in Daejeong City.
ㄴ That thing could move?
ㄴ So this is all Bong Ju-hyeok’s doing.
ㄴ Looks like he got really angry over the doping scandal.
ㄴ I would’ve done the same. When 20 billion dollars just vanished in an instant.
ㄴ He could just rob American banks at this point.
ㄴ If he heads straight to the gold reserve, he’d make hundreds of trillions.
They were helpless.
America had no way to stop the golem army’s advance.
The only relief was that there were no casualties yet.
In fact, everyone knew.
That the golem robots were strictly controlling the situation.
They left only minimal damage.
Nevertheless, with the golems being so enormous and numerous, some damage was unavoidable.
Boom boom boom boom!
Finally, the golem army arrived right in front of the White House.
The last line of defense waiting for them.
Soldiers and police trembling pathetically with just one gun each.
The US President had issued a full military mobilization order, but there had been too little time for the army to prepare.
The mechanized divisions and air force support needed more time to arrive.
In that moment! Thud, thud, thud…
Slowly,
One medium-sized golem robot that had been standing in the back waddled forward awkwardly.
– Good day. I am the unified spokesperson for White Sect and Black Tower, rank number two, therefore Igant, People’s Armed Forces Gosaguk.
Hum hum,
The speaker sound was mixed with static.
That was so like Igant.
If a professional Gigant pilot were aboard, they’d do better than that.
– I won’t make this long. Our demand is just one thing. A meeting with US President Timothy Jensen.
Behind the soldiers and police were also journalists and broadcast reporters.
They had been scared at first, but after noticing these golems weren’t killing anyone, they came out to cover the story.
– Of course, I’m well aware of the US government’s principle of not negotiating with terrorists.
– So I will show you why we are doing this.
They needed to establish justification.
If they just demanded a meeting out of the blue, it would only backfire.
Once Igant Gosaguk finished speaking, Dimension Butler Rajiks stepped forward.
-Clang! Clatter clatter,
“Hoeh!”
He placed a hologram video projection device on the ground where reporters could see it well, and set up a high-output speaker.
-Fzzt!
An image appeared.
It was Kyle Gray talking in his sleep.
The authority of Diamat, the Great Demon of Dreams.
If hit by the Dream Unfolding Authority, everything revealed within the dream would be mumbled as sleep talk.
MacKenzie had filmed that footage.
‘The reason we framed White Sect and Black Tower for illegal drugs is…’
The truth of the incident flowed out in full detail.
‘Bong Ju-hyeok refused our proposal. After internal review, we determined that even if not immediately, he could become a major threat to America in the future, so we decided to eliminate him.’
Additionally, the existence of Epsilon Force, the conspiracy of the World Murim Alliance and Magic Tower Alliance, and the manipulation of the drug test.
It was very shocking content for American citizens.
Of course, the White House and President already knew this.
What Kyle Gray said after waking from his sleep also came out.
The White House wouldn’t know about this part.
‘We can just replace the President. I have an extensive network in American politics.’
‘The one who gave me these orders was the President. I merely followed orders as a soldier.’
‘We just need to kill the US President. Secretly, in a way that has no connection to White Sect or Black Tower.’
How about that, Mr. President?
Chilling, isn’t it?
If I had just agreed, you would have died.
At the hands of a subordinate you trusted.
– Anyone who needs the original footage, raise your hand. Take it and check whether it’s been doctored or not.
Reporters raised their hands eagerly.
“Hoeng!”
-Whoosh, whoosh whoosh!
Rajiks tossed each of them a USB drive.
– Furthermore, I stake my Igant and Go-bang’s Fire Egg and declare. President Timothy Jensen, we will not harm you. We absolutely guarantee your safety. So please come out for dialogue.
President Timothy Jensen and White House officials were also watching this situation from the underground bunker control room.
The President was displeased.
It was Kyle Gray, whom he had considered his right-hand man.
Yet he had casually said he would betray him?
He wondered if it might be fabricated.
But Timothy’s voice and manner of speaking, his expressions and gestures…
It was certain.
It wasn’t fabricated.
“What do you all think? Do you think I should meet with Bong Ju-hyeok?”
The advisors remained silent.
That was understandable.
There were probably quite a few among them whom Kyle Gray had planted.
The situation had changed.
Now, honestly, he couldn’t trust anyone.
President Timothy pondered.
The US government’s principle of not negotiating with terrorists was still valid, but,
‘Should I meet him? Or hold out until the military arrives?’
He had received a report that fighter jets had scrambled.
They should be able to attack soon.
But could they really handle them?
The power the golem robots had just demonstrated.
Laser beams that accurately intercepted massive boulders and turned them to dust.
The fighter jets might actually be the ones taken down.
If that happened, America would be humiliated instead.
Even if the attack succeeded, there would be problems.
Countless civilians surrounded the golems.
If a missile hit a golem and exploded, civilians would die too.
America’s military killing its own citizens.
It would be an inevitable comparison to Bong Ju-hyeok, who had led a golem army all the way to the White House without killing a single person.
In that moment,
An NSC operations advisor approached President Timothy and whispered.
“Mr. President, preparations are complete. The fighter pilot is requesting attack authorization.”
“Hmm.”
If he authorized it, missiles would fly.
The President hesitated.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Call off the attack. Have all the fighter jets return to base.”
“…Yes, understood.”
“And send someone to Bong Ju-hyeok. Tell him I want to meet.”
“Shall we bring him to the bunker?”
“No, to the White House. I’ll head there too.”
And so, a sudden summit between Ju-hyeok and the US President was arranged.
***
Ju-hyeok and President Timothy Jensen met in the White House Oval Office.
There had been a condition.
The demand that Ju-hyeok enter the White House alone without attendants.
Well, he accepted.
But what good did that do?
Just look.
Gosaguk crouching in that corner of the office while hidden.
MacKenzie floating in the air with invisibility magic.
Jepet transformed into a bat, attached to the window outside the office.
Meanwhile, the White House officials and guards had no idea.
There were plenty of martial artists and mages among them, but how could they detect transcendent-class summoned beings in hiding?
Did they think they’d be safe by telling him to come alone?
It was meaningless.
Even if he himself pulled out his hammer and went wild right now, they couldn’t stop him.
“First, let me apologize personally. It was my oversight. The sin of not recognizing a person’s character.”
The President’s apology.
“Let’s end this here. I won’t make an issue of it anymore.”
Come on, that’s not how it works.
Who knows when a person’s mind might change?
“First, please look at this before we talk.”
Ju-hyeok pulled out a burner smartphone from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it forward.
“If you go to the gallery, there should be one video. Please play it.”
President Timothy touched the smartphone Ju-hyeok had given him.
“Hmm, you mean this video called ‘The Great Summoner Bong Ju-hyeok’s Conquest of Other Dimensions’?”
“…Yes.”
Why did they title it like that?
He’d glanced at it once and moved on since it was in English.
The video played.
A video that MacKenzie had edited.
At first, there was no change in his expression.
But as time passed, President Timothy’s mouth gradually fell open.
Sounds from the smartphone.
-Hoek! Hoeek!
-Kaboom! Ka-ka-boom!
-Flash! Crackle crackle!
He knew which part that was.
It must be the scene where Rajiks rode Chorok-i and dropped nuclear bombs.
The battle with the Dragon God hadn’t come up yet?
That was the highlight.
The part where they beat down the Dragon God with Hwangcheon’s Gigant.
Finally,
After watching the entire video, President Timothy raised his head.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously.
“…Are you perhaps a god?”
“No way! How could I be? I’m not a god, I’m human.”
For now, at least.
“Actually, I’m a dimensional traveler. This isn’t my home either. I’ll be leaving soon.”
Ju-hyeok briefly explained himself.
In a way it was a preposterous story, but President Timothy had no choice but to believe it.
It was probably the truth.
Because only then did all the mysteries make sense.
“The reason I wanted to talk was to make a few requests before I leave.”
“Wh-what do you want?”
“Hmm, first, a non-aggression treaty.”
“Pardon?”
“A promise that we won’t fight each other and won’t hold grudges. I’d like to sign it as a document.”
“Ah!”
Ju-hyeok glanced sideways at Gosaguk.
His expression was full of disappointment.
Because it wasn’t the scene he wanted.
What Gosaguk wanted?
The sight of President Timothy standing at attention before Ju-hyeok, raising one hand and taking an oath.
‘I, Timothy Jensen, President of the United States of America, hereby establish friendly relations with Bong Ju-hyeok-nim, respect him, and shall not interfere with anything he does…’
Something like that.
Apparently, this appeared in a Japanese manga.
But that was a bit much, wasn’t it?
This wasn’t a joke,
How bad would the President feel?
So they substituted it with an official document signing.
The non-aggression treaty was processed lightning-fast.
America wanted it too.
“And I’ll compensate for all the property damage in Washington.”
“Oh, you don’t have to…”
“I still have a lot of money left. Money I earned from auctions, and money I received for winning the Asian preliminaries.”
It was money he couldn’t use anywhere else anyway.
Might as well spend it all before leaving.
“Oh right! The World Murim Alliance Leader position is still vacant, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
“May I recommend someone?”
“By all means.”
President Timothy had become very polite.
That was inevitable.
This was a person on a different level.
Perhaps even a god.
“His name is Wang Sang-guk. He’s from the black path, but he was originally a member of Jeonjin Sect.”
“Ah!”
“Recently, he became connected with someone remarkable…”
Ju-hyeok lavished praise on Wang Sang-guk.
It was brief, but Wang Sang-guk had lived with the Sword Immortal and even learned martial arts from him.
That alone more than qualified him for Murim Alliance Leader.
Now let’s wrap up the schedule.
Hold a press conference with the President, return to Korea and wrap up loose ends.
Then it would be over.
Nice and clean, right?
***
Seongye, the Immortal World.
The Sword Immortal was sorting through the gifts he had received at his residence.
He had hurriedly grabbed all the items that Hero Ra poured out.
He needed to check what he had brought.
“Hehe, as expected, American products are the best.”
Las Vegas department stores.
All high-end products.
He felt like the richest person in the Immortal World.
He’d done well to cross over there.
What would have happened if he hadn’t gone?
Now what to do?
Obviously, go show off.
-Vroom!
The Sword Immortal rode his motorcycle to the Immortal World multiplex where the immortals gathered.
Immortals sitting huddled together in front of the multiplex.
The Sword Immortal smirked at the sight.
‘Tsk tsk, beggars.’
Doing nothing, just lounging around wondering if there was anything to scavenge in the Immortal World.
How pathetic was that?
He was embarrassed to be of the same immortal status as them.
If you wanted to gain something, you had to put in effort first.
Look at himself.
With the sole determination to meet Sage Ju-hyeok, he kept opening dimensional gates all day long and finally bore fruit.
‘But what are they all watching?’
The Sword Immortal quietly approached from behind the immortals.
An 85-inch large TV in front of them.
The footage being broadcast on the screen.
‘…Huh?’
The Sword Immortal flinched in surprise.
It was familiar content.
“Th-that punk! He was a villain, not an immortal.”
“Now he’s openly committing crimes.”
“Good heavens, that huge arena…”
“How much blood and sweat of workers went into building that?”
“And then he just runs away acting innocent.”
The Sword Immortal broke into a cold sweat.
The incident he had caused was being exposed on the screen.
How on earth?
It had to be those Three Immortals.
‘Why did they bring that?’
The immortals’ criticism continued.
“Yama definitely won’t stay quiet after seeing that footage, right?”
“Show it to the Heavenly Emperor and Taesangnogun too.”
“Call Haemaki too. We need to let him know the Sword Immortal’s true nature.”
Then they glanced at the Sword Immortal standing awkwardly behind them.
“What do you think, Sword Immortal? Don’t you feel anything watching this?”
But the Sword Immortal wore a composed expression.
“What a well-made AI video. Indistinguishable from the real thing. These days, most short videos are AI-generated like this. Anyone who doesn’t know the real person would be completely fooled.”
He flatly denied it.
“Oh, an AI video, you say?”
“Obviously. The graphics are distorted.”
“Where?”
“There.”
“That’s just a Formless Sword destroying the arena?”
“…”
The Sword Immortal had nothing more to say.
He hadn’t expected his excuse to work anyway.
“Ahem!”
He cleared his throat.
“Oh my! I just remembered. I think I left the gas valve open at home…”
He tried to get on his motorcycle and flee the scene.
“Then we can show this video to One-Two-Three and Dokseon, right?”
“…”
“What did One-Two-Three say before? That if the Sword Immortal went to Sage Ju-hyeok’s world and caused trouble, he’d lock him in the Jageumhongholro.”
“…”
“You could play pattycake nicely with Maseon inside the Hongholro.”
This was bad.
Those guys wouldn’t stay quiet.
“Want us to keep it a secret?”
The Sword Immortal nodded desperately.
“Cough up everything in your subspace. Then we’ll keep our mouths shut.”
Haah.
A sigh escaped from his mouth.
The Sword Immortal’s face contorted miserably.
“…Fine.”
Beggars, and robbers, and shameless thieves.
But there was nothing he could do.
He had to silence them somehow.
